St. Mary's was founded in 1538 by a papal bull and really part of an attempt to reform the Catholic Church in Scotland, bring it more up to date, bring in influences from humanism.
It all came though a little bit too late and of course in 1560, the Reformation came in Scotland and the then Principal of St Mary's went with the reformers.
The buildings of St. Mary's where students are still taught and lecturers have their room are essentially those which were there from the from the beginning from 1538.
It straddles the Reformation and it hasn't been that much changed really since then.
There are a variety of courses on offer at St. Mary's.
You can have theology courses like the religious world of Dante and medieval monastic spirituality.
There are also biblical studies courses such as the atonement and the Gospel of Matthew in Greek.
In third and fourth year at least you can get to know staff much better than in first and second year.
You have smaller classes and really you can be in conversation with experts on a particular issue or topic. Which is a privilege.
Graduates from St. Mary's will go into a variety of careers some in teaching some in academia and further study.
Some in the ministry but also some in industries like financial and professional services.
I have come to St. Mary's because of its reputation as a place where there is a real scholarly community a place by the edge of the sea where people go to do something special together.
And I think that's certainly been borne out in my experience these last one and a half years.
I think because we've decided to focus on divinity and theology as a living tradition.
We all feel that this is a tradition that we stand in and take forward together. And the sense of taking something forward together, gives us immense energy and also friendship. I think. So when I teach I see my students certainly as people to whom I can impart knowledge.
But I also see them as partners in an enterprise people off whom I can bounce ideas about new book projects, about things that I'm working on, about the questions that I care about because I assume that they care about them as well.
St. Mary's College society is the social side of the college.
We hold regular lunches on a Friday which is a great chance to catch up with people as well as pub nights every other Monday and every year we hold a ball.
There's a really good vibe among the students and everyone likes hanging out together in the common room.
Pretty much everyday drinking tea and coffee and eating all of the biscuits.
St. Mary's College is a divinity school but it's very open and inclusive to people of all faiths and none.
And some students do choose to go to our weekly college worship services.
